Common Surgical Mistakes

Among all the fields in medicine, surgery just might be the most highly-regarded. Undisputedly the most action-packed field of medicine, a team of doctors and medical staff are always on a mission to ensure the patient will come out of the operating room at the best shape possible. But for different reasons, even these supposedly-elite teams of medical professionals commit errors, either because of pure coincidence or total negligence. The worst thing about it is sometimes these errors end up becoming life-threatening issues. Here are just some of the most common surgical mistakes committed in operating rooms around the world.

Misdiagnosis- Often times, the surgery team’s only role is to carry out whatever operation a particular doctor ordered for a patient. Given this quandary, it’s easy to see that if the diagnosis is wrong, the surgical procedure will also end up wrong. It’s really that simple. Depending on how egregious the error is, the consequences for the patient may vary.

Infections- Among mistakes in surgical procedures, this is perhaps the most commonplace of all. Even though sanitation is a fundamental part of the medical profession, some people in the field either forget that or neglect them altogether. Infections can also happen because of less-than-ideal conditions found in the hospital or clinic. Regardless of the reason, infections can be damaging in both the short and long terms. Among the conditions that it can cause include wounds that don’t heal, severe pain, illnesses due to infection, and even mutilation or organ failure.

Objects inside the patient’s body- Foreign bodies inside a person are frowned upon, and for good reason. These objects, when left inside the human body, can lead to some gruesome medical situations. Among the consequences it can cause include infections, organ, nerve, or muscle damage, and pain. When left unchecked, it can proceed to permanent tissue damage and even organ failures.

Wrong use of anesthesia- Anesthesia, also known as chemicals that can dull pain, are very important tools for some surgical procedures. However, when not used the right way, it can lead to some serious complications. These errors can happen if anesthesia was injected the wrong way of if the person has an adverse reaction to the anesthesia used. It can lead to potentially fatal consequences if left unchecked.

Wrong site surgery- Simply put, it means that the surgery is done at the wrong site. This can happen because either the surgeon had a misinterpretation of the situation or the diagnosis was wrong to begin with. Depending on the situation, it can either be a harmless mistake or it can compound the problems the patient is already experiencing. Either way, this makes the recovery process more difficult.

Those are just some of the most common surgical mistakes committed by surgeons from different parts of the world. Depending on the situation, this mistake can range from a close call to a fatal one. Avoiding these mistakes is one of the biggest responsibilities and pressures doctors all over the world face every day.